YYC Hot Chocolate Festival 2026 in Calgary: Guide

YYC Hot Chocolate Festival 2026 in Calgary

Winter in Calgary has a way of making simple comforts feel like a full-on event, and YYC Hot Chocolate Fest 2026 is exactly that: a city-wide excuse to explore cafés, bakeries, and restaurants one cup at a time. Every February, participating spots across Calgary create an exclusive hot chocolate drink, and the public helps decide the winners by rating what they try.

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It’s also a festival with heart. A portion from each cup sold (typically $1–$3) supports Calgary Meals on Wheels, connecting your sweet treat to a tangible community benefit.

What it is (and why Calgarians love it)

YYC Hot Chocolate Fest is an annual Calgary winter tradition where local businesses compete for bragging rights—and Calgarians get to taste their way through the entries. The festival includes cafés, restaurants, and chocolatiers, with awards such as Best Hot Chocolate, Best Spirited Hot Chocolate, Most Creative Hot Chocolate, and the fan-favourite “Cup That Runneth Over” (best-selling entry).

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If you’ve lived through a few Calgary winters, you already know the secret: you don’t need to leave the city to feel like you’ve got a “seasonal itinerary.” This is the kind of event that fits perfectly between a brisk walk near Prince’s Island Park, an afternoon at the Central Library, or a weekend wander through Kensington, Inglewood, or 17th Ave.

YYC Hot Chocolate Fest 2026: key details to know

The festival runs in February and features a large roster of participating locations across Calgary. Organizers noted that 2025 was the biggest year yet, with over 159 vendors and 225 participating locations, and the past two years raising $325,000 total—estimated as the equivalent of 65,000 subsidized meals for vulnerable Calgarians.

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Here’s the part locals appreciate: it’s easy to join in whether you’re doing a full “hot chocolate crawl” across the city or just grabbing one special drink near home. You pick an entry from the official contestants list, visit during business hours, then rate it.

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How voting works in Calgary

Participation is straightforward:

• Choose a drink from the official list of contestants, then go try it in person.

• Rate the drink to help decide the winners (the festival notes you can vote via the vendor page, and ratings are supported through their online tools/app).

The charity connection (the feel-good part)

A key reason the festival has become such a staple is that it supports Calgary Meals on Wheels. The festival states that $1–$3 from every cup sold supports Meals on Wheels and helps provide nutritious meals to Calgarians.

Meals on Wheels also highlights the festival’s growth since it began in 2011—starting with 10 businesses and $5,000 raised—and notes it has grown into a city-wide event with over 100 businesses participating and raising over $100,000 to combat food insecurity in Calgary.

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Awards, categories, and what to try

Part of the fun is that the festival isn’t only about “best overall.” There are multiple categories, which makes it easier for different styles to shine—whether you love classic rich chocolate, creative dessert-in-a-cup builds, or a boozy nightcap.

Award categories you’ll see

The festival lists these award categories:

• Best Hot Chocolate (top rated).
• Best Spirited Hot Chocolate (top rated alcoholic option).
• Most Creative Hot Chocolate.
• Cup That Runneth Over (most sold; determined by location).
• Worth the Drive (highest rated beverage from outside Calgary city limits).

Examples of 2026-style flavours you may spot

The 2026 contestants list features a wide range of dessert-inspired and globally influenced entries—think flavours like “Black Forest Hot Chocolate,” “Miso Caramel White Hot Choc,” “Cardamom French Toast,” “Ube Birthday Cake White Hot Chocolate,” and “Qamaria White Chocolate Saffron Silk,” among many others.

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That variety is the whole point: it’s not just hot cocoa—it’s Calgary’s food scene showing off in mug form.

How to plan a Calgary “cocoa crawl”

A little planning makes the festival more fun (and less “Where do we park?”). The official site includes a festival map for 2026, which is handy for building a route around neighbourhoods you already love.

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Easy neighbourhood-based routes

Try one of these approaches:

• Inner-city weekend: Pair a café stop with browsing in Kensington, then head downtown for a second cup near the Central Library or Stephen Avenue vibes.
• South Calgary loop: Make it a cozy afternoon around popular shopping pockets, then finish with a take-home cup for movie night.
• North and NW adventure: Turn it into a mini road trip with two stops, then cap it off with a walk if the weather’s giving classic Chinook energy.

Practical tips locals actually use

• Go with a friend and split tastes when possible so you can try more entries (and compare notes).
• Mix “classic” and “wildcard” picks: one traditional chocolate, one creative build.
• Check business hours before you go; the festival encourages visiting during vendor business hours.

Make it a February tradition

YYC Hot Chocolate Fest 2026 is one of the easiest ways to explore Calgary’s local businesses in the heart of winter, and it channels real dollars toward a local cause at the same time. The simplest way to start is to pick one contestant near your neighbourhood, try it this week, and rate it—then repeat whenever the craving hits.